Ray and Tina Egan organized the Sasquatch Ride. I had heard of it the last year or two, but it wasn't really on my radar screen. Then, my friend Graham told me about it, saying that this year it was moving to Indian Springs. That's only about 15 miles from my house. I read more about the event and found that it would be two days of riding on mostly dirt roads, including many that I regularly ride. It was like stringing together some of my favorite local routes. I was in!
The facilities at Indian Springs were ideal for the weekend; an amphitheater with outdoor heat lamps worked great for the Friday and Saturday night dinners as well as socializing. Riders could stay in nearby cottages, camp at Indian Springs state park, or tent camp for free outside the park. I opted to drive from home for the rides since I live so close.
Day 1 - Sasquatch Ride
Although there was a spaghetti dinner on Friday night, I didn't arrive until Saturday morning for the first ride. It was a chilly start, in the upper 30s, but the day warmed quickly, reaching a high in the 60s by afternoon.
There were two distance options, 100 miles or 60 miles. About a dozen of us opted for the 100-mile route. We rolled out at 8:00 AM, an hour before the 60-milers. I rode with several guys for a few miles, but I quickly discerned that they would be too fast for me for the long haul. I dropped back and thought I might be doing a lot of solo riding.
Then, here came Calista! I had seen her briefly before the start. She's a fellow randonneuse who lives in Maryland. How great that she came to join us on the Sasquatch Ride! I had met her once before on a 400K brevet a few years ago but didn't ride with her or talk with her much then because she did a longer 1000K option. So, it was quite enjoyable to ride with her this past weekend and get to know her. She's a super strong rider and a very nice and interesting person.
I drafted a good bit behind Calista. I probably would have had to anyway because she's a stronger rider than I am, but I definitely had to this weekend because my energy level wasn't as high as usual because of my stomach woes. Nevertheless, I was determined to ride the 100 miles and have a good time on Saturday.
We headed east into Jasper County, home turf. The route took us past woods and farms. The northernmost portion went through the Clybel Wildlife Management Area, a hidden gem. Next, we headed back south, through downtown Monticello and toward the Oconee National Forest and the Ocmulgee River.
After a rest stop right near the river, we continued toward Juliette on additional excellent dirt roads. I had been trying to eat at regular intervals, but my stomach started acting up again on that stretch. We made it to the lunch stop by the Ocmulgee River in Juliette. Tina cooked and coordinated all the meals for the weekend, and she did an outstanding job. Saturday's lunch was a taco bar. I was able to eat only one, but I wish I could have managed more. Even that bit was delicious.
They also had some fireball flavor Jack Daniels (like a red hot) available there for the riders. I just love the chill attitude of the off-roadie community! I didn't think it would be wise to partake of the Jack Daniels given my iffy stomach, but Calista didn't hesitate.
We made our way west and north through Monroe County. I was familiar with some roads, but others were new to me. One of the roads that was unfamiliar to me, Torbet Road, crossed from Monroe County into Butts County. Soon I learned why I had never ridden on Torbet Road before; the bridge was out!
It didn't look like any construction was underway to rebuild it, either. This was a little surprise that Ray built into the route for us. I didn't mind a bit, but I was glad we came to this creek crossing toward the end of the ride during the warmer part of the day.
By the way, I don't know what it is about my rando buddies having to ford creeks when they ride with me!
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| Rando buddy Dick fording a creek on the Peaches & Lakes 200K Brevet, July 2017 |
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| Rando buddy Robert N fording a creek on the Little White House 200K Permanent, July 2014 |
Husband Robert isn't immune from having to hoof it across creeks with me, either:
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| Middle Georgia Author Ride (that I designed) in August 2014 |
We had another rest stop soon after the creek crossing.
The couple volunteering there had generously made all kinds of delicious looking homemade treats. One type was an "acorn," made with a mini peanut butter sandwich cookie and a Hershey's kiss. Unfortunately, I didn't feel up to sampling any of the goodies. Calista partook for me, however. In addition to an acorn, she had some beef jerky and some moonshine. She's my heroine.
Maybe some moonshine would have fortified me for the last 10 miles of the ride: a bunch of single track at Dauset Trails. I last rode at Dauset Trails at least 10 years ago. Riding there last Saturday confirmed my status as a roadie. Granted, I was on a cyclocross bike, which was harder than if I had had a mountain bike, but it was still a beast!
My main saving grace was that Calista wasn't any faster than I was on the single track. It was roots galore. We both kept getting off and on our bikes. Nevertheless, we persisted. I had thought we would finish the ride earlier in the afternoon, but because the single track slowed us down so much, we finished right at dark.
There was a good looking BBQ dinner following the ride. I had already planned to go home to eat dinner with Robert. If it weren't for my stomach, I would have been sorely tempted to stay for BBQ instead.
Day 2 - Halfsquatch Ride
The Sunday routes were the reverse of the Saturday routes. Was I going to ride 100 miles again? No. Was I going to ride the Dauset Trails single track again? *&$# no! Perhaps not surprisingly, no one opted for the 100-mile ride on Sunday.
Doing the 60-mile option on Sunday meant that I got an extra hour of sleep before the 9:00 AM start. Also, I drove back to Indian Springs early enough for breakfast that morning. That was mainly because I hadn't had time to go grocery shopping, but it turned out to be an excellent decision regardless. Breakfast was delicious! I was able to eat a decent amount, and it seemed to sit OK with me. At least at first...
Calista and I learned that the single track at the beginning of that day's ride was intended to slow everyone down before the lunch stop in Juliette. Because she and I weren't doing Dauset that day, we delayed our start time until 9:30 AM. In the meantime, Calista did some extra miles because she wanted about 70 total for the day.
It was another beautiful day, and by the time we rolled out, it was significantly warmer than when I had first arrived that morning. I had been looking forward to a good ride, but the stomach ick factor kicked in pretty soon. Calista was riding at a pace that normally would have been just right for me, but I quickly wondered if I would be able to keep up the entire ride.
Only six miles into the ride, we approached the turn that would take us back to the creek crossing. I had planned ahead, however! I had checked the route and found an easy detour. I called out to Calista to turn right instead of left. A couple of guys heard me say that we were avoiding the creek crossing, and so they followed us.
The lunch stop at Juliette was only 20 miles into the route, but we had delayed our start long enough for it to be a reasonable lunchtime. Calista and I were the first to arrive. Tina had made chicken and sausage gumbo. I simply had to try some:
I couldn't eat much, but I still could tell how outstanding it was. If I had been my usual self, I would have devoured it!
Calista and I continued on. We headed north on River Road. A couple of miles later, there was Robert! He was parked on the side of the road collecting some survey data. We stopped briefly to say hi.
As Calista and I rode on again, I started feeling pretty badly. I had to slow down significantly. I would have to slog through the remaining miles...or...I could ride back to Robert and have him take me to my car. As much as I hated to do so, I told Calista I was heading back.
I've ridden in the dark. I've ridden through terrible weather conditions. I've continued riding with a sprained shoulder. I've continued riding after I likely had a mild concussion after a minor crash. So, maybe that gives you an idea about how poorly I was doing for me to bail. As I retraced the couple of miles back to Robert, I sang some modified Depeche Mode to myself:
Your own personal SAG wagon
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
My timing was good because Robert was just finishing his surveying work. Maybe that was another indication that I had made the right decision. He graciously took me back to my car at Indian Springs. When I got home, I slept for nearly three hours. My stomach has been getting better. Hopefully, I'm close to beating this gastroenteritis!
I'm already looking forward to next year's Sasquatch Ride: great riding, super people, and good eats!
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| Me with Sasquatch and THE Sasquatch - thanks for everything, Ray! |
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